Beached at CHittagong 23.04.24
News
ABDULLAH
After an awful 31-day journey at the hands of Somali pirates, the 'Abdullah' with 23 crew members on board, and loaded with 55,000 tons of coal, arrived safely at the Al Hamriya Port in Dubai on April 22 at 4.30 p.m. Bangladesh time, bringing an end to the voyage, during which, on March 12, it was hijacked in the Indian Ocean while en route from Maputo to the United Arab Emirates. The Kabir Group, the parent company of SR Shipping and the owner of the 'Abdullah', verified the vessel’s safe arrival. After the hijack, the pirates reportedly demanded a ransom of $5 millionduring the early stages of negotiations for the crew’s release. The process entailed several discussions, with the ship’s owners, SR Shipping Limited, working relentlessly to ensure the crew’s safe return. The crew was ultimately released on April 13, and the ship began its journey to Al Hamriya Port, arriving there after eight days of navigation. Captain Mohammad Abdur Rashid stated that all 23 crew members were safe and sound. To crew members will fly back to Bangladesh, while the others will remain on board to await the end of the unloading procedure.
Fos-sur-Mer
The French port of Marseille Fos plans to spend over US$22 million to reduce air emissions by extending its shoreside electrical connections to every ferry, cruise ship and repair quay in the eastern harbour. The port has also introduced speed restrictions to reduce industrial air pollution. Already available on the Corsica ferry quays, the shore power network will be expanded in two phases to cover North Africa ferry quays and the ship repair hub by 2022 and the cruise terminal between 2022 and 2025. The zero-emissions investment, which is supported by national and regional government, recognises the need to maintain the port’s economic value while improving the city’s waterside air quality.
Singapore
Phase one of the new Jurong Port Tank Terminals (JPTT) was officially opened on Monday (July 29), with Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Chee Hong Tat saying it will allow Singapore to strengthen its position as one of the world’s top bunkering ports for low-sulphur fuels. The $200 million, 16ha petrochemical terminal is a joint venture between port operator Jurong Port and German firm Oiltanking with 252,000 cubic m of clean petroleum storage capacity. From January next year, the International Maritime Organisation will prohibit ships from using fuels containing more than 0.5 per cent sulphur.
COASTAL RENAISSANCE
The noon sailing of the 'Coastal Renaissance' on April 21, 2024, was delayed leaving Swartz Bay on Monday due to a medical emergency. Ambulance paramedics were called to assist the affected passenger. The delay lasted 54 minutes. No further details were available.
MV KARAR
After three days of preliminary questions, the trial regarding the drug seizure aboard the 'Karar' faced the beginning of a key phase on April 22: the interrogations of the accused. The 14 crew members from Nepal and Bangladesh of the ship, which was transporting the 3.8 tons of cocaine, who will be released this week after four years in prison at the end of the maximum period of preventive detention, will be the first to testify. In the session, six of them already did so, including the captain, who, like the rest, confessed his guilt. Alim Ullah, the 48-year-old Bangladeshi, acknowledged that, after leaving Panama, they loaded the drugs on the high seas off the coast of Colombia and that the instructions were to take them to Vigo, where they were to land it about 350 nautical miles from the Olívic city. Along with the crew, Bueu resident José Manuel Blanco Gestido was on the ship, the only Spaniard on board, whom the captain and the other defendants who testified have incriminated by indicating that he was in charge of supervising the illicit cargo. Given the exceptional situation that the entire foreign crew was experiencing due to their imminent release – the maximum period of deprivation of liberty expires on April 25 at dawn – the prosecutor accepted that the interrogations of the 28 accused would begin with these sailors. The intention of their defense lawyers – given that, lacking economic means and roots in Spain, they will be welcomed in shelters spread across several Galician provinces – is to be excused from attending the trial sessions until the final day. Alim Ullah, the captain, was the first to testify. With the help of an interpreter. He confessed his participation in the drug trafficking operation that failed when at 6:20 a.m. on April 25, 2020, the “Karar” was boarded with the cache inside. The rest of the interrogated crew members also admitted their guilt: Mohammed Iman Sharif, Mohammed Ataur Rahman, Altaf Hossain, Mahfuzul Hoque and Tamang Kiran, all from Bangladesh except the last one, a Nepalese, as well as the remaining eight sailors who was to testify on April 23. All initially face, according to the prosecutor's provisional qualification document, 13,5 years in prison. They related how on the bridge of the “Karar” there was a nautical chart with the coordinates in pencil about the unloading point. When they left their countries of origin, several of them stressed, they were unaware that the voyage was to transport drugs, but already in Panama, where they left, they knew the illicit purpose of the trip and knew that they were carrying bales of cocaine on the ship. Another crew member reported that, after several days of crossing, they loaded the drugs in front of Colombia, a task that took them one or two hours. Other defendants gave more details about this moment, such as the electrician, the only one who did not need an interpreter. To load the bales they used a crane. It was the middle of the night, they were on the high seas and several boats with the drugs approached them. The only Galician who was on board wrote down with a pen in a book and all the bundles were stored in a tank, which was closed with screws and nuts. that Blanco Gestido, he said, secured with a flange. The Nepalese Tamang Kiran was the one who had contact with the outside world through satellite phone. He was speaking with a compatriot named Lama: he is not prosecuted in the case, but, according to the statements, he was one of the leaders in the illicit operation. Settled between Panama and Colombia, he was at the meeting prior to the departure of the “Karar”. Report with photo: https://www.farodevigo.es/gran-vigo/2024/04/22/capitan-karar-confiesa-cargaron-cocaina-colombia-destino-vigo-101392831.html
Dubrovnik
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the City of Dubrovnik have partnered to introduce sustainable tourism management practices that will preserve the Croatian city’s cultural heritage. CLIA president and CEO Kelly Craighead and Dubrovnik’s Mayor Mato Franković signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which outlines plans to make Dubrovnik a model of sustainable tourism for the Adriatic region. All plans focus on investment, collaboration and best practices that will benefit both Dubrovnik’s residents and visitors. “Today’s agreement validates the work we have already done with Mayor Franković and formalises the cruise industry’s continued commitment to the City of Dubrovnik and its people,” said Craighead.
Sihanoukville
Congestion at Cambodia’s top port is creating supply chain disruptions. In a note to clients German containerline Hapag-Lloyd noted that terminal productivity at Sihanoukville port has deteriorated due to port and yard congestion. Feeder services and turnaround times are affected and feeder space is tight. In an effort for medium term improvement of this situation, the port is building an extended yard for additional storage space. “Before the new container yard is completed, port congestion may persist,” Hapag-Lloyd warned.
MFV OLIVIA GRACE
The Moelfre ALB was mobilized on April 21, 2024, at 12:35 p.m. to the 'Olivia Grace', whic hwas drifting approximately 12 miles North of Puffin Island towards the shipping lanes and following a Pan Pan urgency call from the Holyhead Coastguard. The lifeboat launched and was on scene within 25 minutes. Once on scene, it was discovered that the vessel's derricks were stuck in the down position and scallop dredges hanging approximately five meters beneath the surface. The ALB and crew stood by while the crew made several attempts to recover the fishing gear manually. Due to the sheer weight of the equipment, attempts to recover the dredges and stow the beams were unsuccessful. With the vessel in its current state and with the risk of fouling its gear on the seabed, towing to its home port of Porth Penrhyn was not feasible. The coxswain transferred a crew member to improve communications and requested that the vessel jettison the fishing gear and manually stow the large derricks. This request was denied as they didn't have the equipment onboard to cut or remove the wires from the winches or suitable equipment to mark the dredges for future recovery. As there was no immediate risk to life, and the vessel had full electrical power and all navigational aids for safety, it was deemed by Coxswain and Coastguard to be a commercial tow with specialist equipment required to remove the fishing gear and derricks. Following lengthy discussions between the Coastguard, Coxswain, and owners, it was agreed that the lifeboat would stand by and provide safety cover while commercial recovery options were discussed. If required, it would connect a tow should the situation change and the vessel drift into danger. Although there was no response from the coastguard's Pan Pan call, it was later discovered that the scalloper's sister vessel 'BS 89' was also working in the area. The owner later instructed the sister vessel to provide support and assistance. Once it arrived, they transferred some lifting equipment over with ropes and buoys to jettison the dredge. Following several hours of work, the fishing gear was lowered to the seabed. And the sister vessel connected a tow, while the crew of the trawler began work to manually recover the beams and derricks on their way back to Porth Penrhyn. Once safely underway, the Coastguard released the lifeboat and crew after eight hours at sea. Report with photos: https://rnli.org/news-and-media/2024/april/23/rnli-moelfre-eight-hours-at-sea-to-assist-fishing-vessel
HUNTER
The police have identified the body, which was found in the trawl of the trawler 'Kongsfjord' on April 12, 2024. On April 22 the police stated that it was Latvian Romans Solovjovs (38), who was found south-east of Svalbard. The next of kin have been notified. There was no final autopsy report, but the cause of death was stated to be drowning. The Havøy Kystfiske was grateful for the discovery of Solojovs and expressed their thanks for the efforts of the crew of the trawler for finding and bringing the deceased ashore. They hoped that this finding would give the police the answers they need to close the investigation, and bring some form of closure to the Solovjovs' family. Solovjovs was reported missing to the police following a report of a man overboard on the snow crab vessel "Hunter" off Svalbard on Jan 30, 2023. According to the accident report from February 2023, Solovjovs fell overboard while preparing the rails. Following the accident, the Accident Investigation Board notified the Norwegian Maritime Directorate of what they believed to be safety-critical conditions on board. As a result, the ship was detained in Tromsø until orders from the Norwegian Maritime Directorate were rectified. In that connection, all certificates were confiscated and declared invalid due to serious security discrepancies. The background was precisely the fatal accident. Owner Jøran Helde in Havøy Kystfiske, who owns the vessel, complained about this decision from the directorate. He then stated that the shipping company disagreed with a large number of findings in the audit report, and that it was therefore appealed. The case has not been finally decided. The ship remained docked in Ålesund. The shipping company had to pay half a million Norwegian crowns after it was discovered that the ship had too many foreign employees in the crew.
Tanger-Med
The Tanger Med port has emerged as the biggest port in Africa in terms of container capacity, surpassing Africa’s bigger ports like Durban (South Africa) and Mombasa (Kenya). The Tanger Med port now connects Morocco to 77 countries and 186 ports around the world. The Tanger Med II has two new container terminals – TC3 and TC4 – with an additional 6 million container capacity. The TC3, which is operated by Morocco’s main port operator Marsa Maroc, has a capacity of 1 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units). The TC4, which is operated by the Netherlands-based APM Terminals, has a capacity of 5 million TEUs. According to the Tanger Med Port Authority, with its new terminals, Tanger Med port will have a capacity of processing 9 million containers, 7 million passengers, 1 million vehicles and 700,000 trucks. Thanks to its extensions, Tanger Med port has now become the largest port in the Mediterranean region, surpassing some of the region’s top ports like Algeciras (Spain), Valencia (Spain) and Gioia (Italy). The port is located 40 kilometers east of the Moroccan town of Tangier, which is a gateway to both Europe and Africa. “Our aim is to develop an effective port platform integrated with transshipment activities, imports and exports,” Tanger Med Port Authority said on its website. The Tanger Med port has become vital for Morocco’s economy as it handled 317 billion Moroccan dirhams (US$33.14 billion) worth of exports and imports in 2018. It processed an overall tonnage of 52.24 tonnes last year.
Dhamra
French oil and gas giant Total SA has taken a 50 per cent stake in Dhamra LNG Terminal Pvt Ltd (DLTPL), a unit of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), which is constructing a 12 million tonne per annum (mtpa) LNG regasification terminal at its port located at Dhamra in Odisha’s Bhadrak district.